Replacing Fixed Line Phones with a Cloud Hosted PBX

The ubiquity of mobile phones has meant that fixed line phones are increasingly ignored in homes. After all, why bother with a boring wired phone when our smartphones are always within reach?

For the longest time however, many businesses are forced to rely on fixed telephone lines and on premise PBX (private branch exchange) for the capabilities that they deliver. Thankfully, advancements in cloud-based telephony mean it is now possible to migrate to a pure cloud deployment without losing these abilities.

So What Does a PBX Offer?

Many organizations rely on a PBX to hook up their internal wired telephones with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) operated by telecommunication operators. In recent years, this has been replaced by IP PBX for Voice over IP (VoIP) capabilities, usually delivered in tandem with traditional PBX functionality.

Businesses looking to add VoIP could either acquire it as an upgrade for existing PBX equipment, purchase a standalone IP-PBX appliance, or implement the appropriate IP-PBX software system on a computer server. The latter are typically equipped with telephony interface cards to hook up to the PSTN and analog phones. In some cases, the software component could be deployed entirely within a virtual environment, and work with VoIP gateway appliances and digital IP Phones over the network.

Regardless of deployment scenarios above, one downside is their need for expensive on premise hardware. And due to the critical nature of telephony, this equipment also has to be deployed within specially equipped server rooms fitted out with additional hardware such as heavy-duty air-conditioning and battery backups — further adding to costs.

Switching to a Cloud Hosted PBX

So can a cloud hosted PBX replace an on premise PBX? In truth, much of the resistance towards replacing on premise PBX hardware probably has to do with the inability of initial generations of hosted VoIP solutions to match their capabilities. This may range from such as call forwarding, auto attendants, and the ability for callers to leave voice messages; these are features that a modern cloud hosted PBX would already have.

Indeed, it is common to find advanced capabilities such as simultaneous ringing, time/day call forwarding, and the ability to instantly activate new phone lines using a Web browser. And because cloud hosted PBX generally hook directly to the PSTN, businesses are hence able to do away with the hassle (and cost) of fixed line phones entirely.

What’s more, making a switch is generally as simple as signing up with a reputable provider, and installing a supported VoIP software on client laptops and desktops. Businesses that expect a higher volume of calls can also opt to invest in SIP hardware and physical headsets. So your organization is still mulling over whether to purchase new PBX equipment, why not give a cloud-based PBX solution a spin first?

Do you agree, disagree, or have anything to add? Please share in the comments below.